Battle of Winterfell (Second Long Night)
The Great Battle of Winterfell, commonly referred to as the Battle of Ice and Fire, is the last major battle of the Second Long Night between an alliance of living armies—including the forces led by the Starks, Baratheons, Arryns, and Targaryens—against the Army of the Dead led by the White Walkers, the third conflict humanity waged since the War for the Dawn thousands of years ago. The battle takes place at Winterfell, the seat of House Stark and regional capital of the North.Game of Thrones first look: Inside the brutal battle to make season 8 The living suffered heavy casualties but ultimately prevail when Bran Stark draws out the Night King in the Winterfell godswood, where Arya Stark destroys him with a Valyrian steel dagger, causing all of the White Walkers and the wights to fall and ending the Army of the Dead. Prelude Jon Snow, King in the North, and Castifer Stark, Lord of Winterfell, prepared the North for the White Walkers, who rose again after thousands of years during his time in the Night's Watch. They secured an alliance with the Storm King Daveth Baratheon and negotiated with Daenerys Targaryen during her invasion of Westeros, eventually cultivating an ally in her. After Daveth's mother Cersei Lannister, who held the Iron Throne after the War of the Five Kings, agreed to a parley in King's Landing, Jon, Castifer and Daveth ventured beyond the Wall with a token force of hardened soldiers to capture a wight, which nearly failed until Daenerys rescued Jon and the survivors, though at the cost of one of her dragons, Viserion, who died at the hands of the Night King. The wight was presented by Jon, Castifer, Daveth, Daenerys, and their followers at a parley in the Dragonpit before Cersei, Euron Greyjoy, and their entourage. While Euron declared he would retreat to the Iron Islands, Cersei agreed to a truce, and later further agreed to send her armies north to assist in the Great War after negotiating with her brother Tyrion, Daveth's maternal uncle and Hand to Daenerys. After Jon, Daveth and Daenerys began sailing back to the North following the parley, Cersei Lannister revealed to her brother Jaime that she and Euron Greyjoy plotted to betray the truce that they agreed to, and that Euron was ferrying the Golden Company from Essos to Westeros on the Iron Fleet in order to help the Lannisters reconquer the Seven Kingdoms. Seeking to uphold the vow he made at the parley, Jaime abandoned his sister in King's Landing and rode north alone to help in the Great War against the White Walkers and the Army of the Dead.A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Upon arriving at Winterfell, Jaime was put on trial for his actions against Houses Targaryen, Baratheon and Stark, but Jaime was ultimately allowed to stay in Winterfell while Winterfell prepared for the Army of the Dead. Meanwhile, after rescuing his sister Yara from their uncle Euron, Theon Greyjoy set sail to Winterfell with some ironborn warriors while Yara and the rest of their followers sailed to the Iron Islands to take them back from Euron in Daenerys's name, allowing the living to retreat to the Iron Islands should Winterfell fall."Winterfell" Theon and the ironborn were also allowed to stay at Winterfell to partake in the great battle. Meanwhile, the Night King breached the Wall with a reanimated Viserion, nullifying its magic and allowing the White Walkers and the Army of the Dead to cross into the realms of men, heading first towards the North. The White Walkers first attack Last Hearth, the seat of House Umber, where everyone is killed, including Lord Ned Umber, unable to escape Last Hearth before the Army of the Dead arrived. By the time Tormund, Lord Beric Dondarrion, and Lord Commander Eddison Tollett arrived with the other survivors of the fall of the Wall, the castle had been abandoned, indicating that the White Walkers and the Army of the Dead were getting close to Winterfell. Tormund, Beric, and Edd, alongside the other surviving Free Folk, members of the Brotherhood Without Banners, and members of the Night's Watch, reached Winterfell before the Army of the Dead did, and warned Jon Snow that the White Walkers would be there within the night. The battle As the Dothraki prepared for the impact against the wights, Ser Jorah Mormont noticed Melisandre approaching them from the dark. Melisandre then asked the Dothraki horde to raise their weapons and with the help of Valyrian chants, she was able to light their weapons on fire to fight against the Army of the Dead. The Dothraki then charged towards the wights with their flaming weapons in hand, along with Ser Jorah Mormont and Ghost. However, as the combined force faded into the dark, all the lighted up swords vanished and only a few Dothraki and Jorah Mormont were able to escape. At this point, the living understood that the numbers in Night King's army were overwhelming. The massive wave of the wights then made their way towards Winterfell, impacting with the ground forces of the living. The sheer amount of wights caused the ground forces to retreat back into Winterfell so that the trench can be lighted up, in the process of which one wight killed Eddison Tollet. In an attempt to light up the trench, the archers shot flaming arrows at it but to no avail as the woods were too cold to get lighted up from mere arrows. A group of Unsullied then accompanied Melisandre towards the trench, as she believed she could light up the trench with the same Valyrian chants. After a few failed attempts, Melisandre was finally able to burn the trench cutting off the path to Winterfell. Daenerys and Jon rode Drogon and Rhaegal respectively, and were able to destroy most of the whits approaching the castle, however, a cold wind swallowed the dragons into its darkness and they were only able to make their way through once the trench was lighted. From the darkness emerged the Night King riding the reanimated Viserion, who tried to attack Drogon with his ice flames but was quickly distracted by Jon. Rhaegal and the reanimated Viserion fought each other and were both heavily injured. The Night King took this as an opportunity to attack and kill Jon, but Daenerys was able to interfere and she dismounted the Night King from Viserion. Daenerys tried to kill the Night king with dragonfire but he was unhurt from the dragon's flame. He reached out for his ice blade to attack Drogon but he missed his shot and Daenerys was able to ride away from him. Although the living held their own for a little while, they were eventually pushed back into Winterfell. The Night King reanimated all the fallen soldiers who had just perished, and it seemed all hope was lost. However, as the Night King was about to kill Bran in the godswoods, Arya Stark came out of nowhere and, through her sleight of hand, was able to stab the Night King with the Valyrian steel dagger, and consequently causing the White Walkers to be destroyed and wights extinct. Aftermath Daenerys Targaryen addresses a gathering of surviving Northern, Stormlander, Reach and Vale lords and knights in Winterfell, declaring that while the living have won the Great War, they now have to win the last war."Season 8, Episode 4" Notable Combatants ;"The Living" * Queen Daenerys Targaryen, leader of the Dothraki ** Ser Jorah Mormont (KIA) **'Grey Worm', commander of the Unsullied **Ko Qhono (KIA) * Lord Daveth Baratheon, commander of the Stormland/Reach forces (WIA) **Ser Lucius Blackmyre, Daveth's second-in-command (KIA) ** Ser Jaime Lannister ** Ariyana Dayne ** Lord[[w:c:gameofthrones:House Caron|'Dennard Caron']] ** Lord Kaswyc Estermont ** Lord Tristifer Swann ** Lord Weskyr Morrigen ** Lord Konner Wylde ** Lord Sethor Selmy ** Lord Chrestan Trant ** Lord Elmo Hightower ** Lord Stallyn Fossoway ** Lord Osbert Florent **'Gendry' * Jon Snow, commander of the Northern/Riverland forces ** Lady'Alys Karstark' ** Lady Lyanna Mormont (KIA) ** Lord'Permian Hornwood' ** Lord'Mardrall Mazin' ** Lord Wyman Manderly ** Lord Cley Cerwyn ** Arya Stark ** Ser Brienne of Tarth ** Podrick Payne ** Ser Davos Seaworth ** Lord Jason Mallister ** Lord Tytos Blackwood ** Lord Jonos Bracken ** Chieftain Tormund Giantsbane, de facto leader of the Free Folk ** Prince Theon Greyjoy (KIA) * Lord Castifer Stark, leader of the Winter Contingency **Lord Ryllmas Russell ** Lord Syhdred Bolton ** Ser Bylleron Swyft, leader of the Sparten Rangers * Lord Beric Dondarrion, leader of the Brotherhood Without Banners (KIA) ** Sandor Clegane * Eddison Tollett, acting Lord Commander of the Night's Watch (KIA) * Lord Yohn Royce, commander of the Vale forces ;"The Dead" *'Night King', leader of the White Walkers References Category:Articles by MarkRulez711 Category:Events Category:Second Long Night